A prolific teenage graffiti vandal who attacked trains and stations across London - including Ealing Common - has been handed a two-year community order, including a ban from carrying any graffiti-related paraphernalia.

Kieran Deeny (18) of The Roystons, Berrylands, was sentenced at City of Westminster Magistrates Court on Friday, 14 May after pleading guilty to five counts of criminal damage and endangering safety, as well as having a further 16 offences taken into consideration.

Deeny committed the offences between March 2007 and April 2010, causing nearly £38,000 damage to trains and railway property in Clapham, Strawberry Hill, Ealing, Epsom, Fulham, Willesden, Southfields, Worcester Park and in Surbiton.

Detective Sergeant Jeremy Walley, of British Transport Police, said:

“Deeny was initially arrested in October 2009 after it was found he had attacked a number of South West Trains services between May and June 2008.

“After arresting Deeny we carried out a search at his home address in Berrylands, seizing three computers. Forensic analysis of the computers revealed that two of them contained large amounts of photographs of criminal damage, linking Deeny to graffiti offences committed at a large number of stations.”

While Deeny was on bail, further investigation by BTP detectives shed light on yet more offences that he had committed and he was arrested for a further three offences.

On top of the two-year community order, Deeny must carry out 200 hours’ unpaid work, pay £5,000 compensation to the railway and obey a six-month curfew order, requiring him to be at home between 6.30pm and 7.00am.

DS Walley added:

“The damage committed by vandals like Deeny not only has a financial implication but it also means that trains have to be taken out of service to be cleaned. This can have an effect on the everyday running of services and all our passengers may suffer as a consequence.

“Writing graffiti on the railway is not a harmless pastime, it is a criminal act and we welcome the sentence handed down to Deeny.

A South West Trains spokeswoman added: "Vandalism to stations and trains does have an impact on our passengers, and we hope that this sentence will send out a strong message that this kind of behaviour is unacceptable."

Anyone with information about those responsible for graffiti on railway property is urged to contact British Transport Police on Freefone 0800 40 50 40 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.